For people who live on properties with the need to maintain large outdoor living spaces, automobiles, and pets, there is a need to create a device capable of watering plants that can serve a multitude of functions. For example, there is a need for a device that can serve as a lawn watering device as well as a spray device for washing automobiles, pets, and other outdoor surfaces. In particular, there is a need for a device that serves as both a handheld watering device and a ground based lawn sprinkler, thus eliminating the need to own multiple watering devices that each serves a particular function. One could instead own a single device capable of serving multiple functions.
Having a single device capable of serving multiple watering functions would be advantageous for multiple reasons. First, it is inconvenient to have to shut off the water supply when changing devices for different watering tasks. In most cases, the water shut off (the hose bib) is adjacent to the dwelling or building. The operator must therefore walk back to the hose bib and shut off the water supply in order to exchange devices. If the residual water pressure has not been discharged, the hose may spray on the operator as the device is disconnected. Furthermore, these separate devices for different watering tasks must be retrieved and stored upon each device exchange performed by the operator. Another point of difficulty for the operator may be experienced by individuals that have physical limitations with respect to their ability to twist or grab small objects such as a hose fitting. Connecting the hose can be especially difficult when the fitting is wet or the strength of the connection has been increased by the pressure of water running through the line.
There have been devices that have been created to address some of these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,093 to Battaglia describes a multi-purpose handheld watering device featuring two sprayer heads, one of which is oriented in a forward direction when the device is to be used in handheld operation, and the other oriented upwardly for when the device is operated as a ground based lawn sprinkler. The device also features a pivoting spike which may be folded into the sprinkler body or pointed outward, providing the device with a means of support for when the device is used as a ground based lawn sprinkler.
However, these devices suffer from several drawbacks. Some conventional devices are only capable of watering a small to medium area of the lawn. They are also only capable of watering the lawn in a fixed pattern. This means that should the device be placed at the edge of a lawn, there would be no means of limiting the flow of water to only the lawn area, and it would unnecessarily spill over to other areas or provide inadequate coverage over the desired lawn area. A further drawback in some of the prior devices is the required use of a spike inserted into the ground to support the device when it is to be used in ground based operation. This prevents the device from properly being used for ground based operation if the device is to be used on hard surfaces, such as rocky areas or areas with dense tree roots. Moreover, the inclusion of a spike on the prior devices could damage an automobile or injure a pet if these devices were used for washing purposes other than lawn watering.
While individuals of all ages enjoy gardening, a significant percentage of active gardeners are at an age where the physical requirements to use a particular tool is a consideration. It is generally understood in the art that the combination of an oscillating elongated sprinkler with a hand-held wand sprinkler is not practicable, because a device incorporating the benefits of these components in an unaltered form would result in an overall length and diameter that is excessive for a handheld sprinkler.
Additionally, such devices would exceed the standard dimensions for oscillating sprinkler products found on store shelves. Shelf spacing, planograms and other merchandising designs take the standard oscillating sprinkler length dimension into account. Therefore, the length of a combination hand-held wand and ground-based oscillating sprinkler, according to the knowledge of the prior art, exceeds commercial practicability.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a garden watering device that addresses these and other concerns by incorporating hand-held and ground-based sprinkler functionality in a single device that is appropriate for multiple gardening tasks and is still manageable for a typical gardener.